Bell's Dinner @ The Porter

YUM!

That's all I have to say. Well, not really. Molly and Nick put together an evening of delicious food paired with one of Georgia's newest brewery arrivals, Bell's Brewery. Hailing from the tiny town of Galesburg Michigan, Bell's produces some of the best craft beer in these United States.


The Menu:

Fennel Soup
Bell's Oberon
*
First of the Season Heirloom Tomatoes, tomato mousse, gelee, garden basil
Bell's Oberon
*
Beef Tender, wrapped in lardo, hickory smoked, Nick's garden pickled vidalia
onions, potato salad
Bell's Amber Ale
*
Local Georgia Strawberries, black pepper ice cream, angel food cake, candied grapefruit zest
Bell's Pale Ale
*


The cold Fennel soup was a lovely introduction to warm weather dining and the Oberon's crisp feel and slight wheat taste was a nice complement and palate opener. Since it was not on the menu it was also a nice surprise.

I grow heirloom tomatoes, I roast tomatoes for salsa, I stew tomatoes for sauce but rarely do I just sit down and eat tomatoes. The 'first toms of the season' proved that a slice or two of plain ole tomato is a good thing. Juicy, plump and floating on an amazingly light but flavorful pond of gelee, the season's first fruit cut the cream of the Fennel Soup and sent us down a new path that, once again, the cirtus fringe of Oberon was a PEFECTLY paired to guide. Topped with a dolop of Tomato Mousse that had the most delicate infused essence of tomato, this was an IRON CHEF winner for the secret ingredient of tomato if there ever was one. This paring spoke volumes of session drinking and eating, all summer long. I do not know how I missed the photo op here.

Beef, it's what's for beer dinners. Praise be to Nick for cooking the entre'e to perfection. Did I say perfection? Yes. I did. No need to ask how I wanted my temp, just bring it to SPOT ON! Wrapped in a web of pork and resting on a bed of potato salad, garden fresh pickled vidalia onions and paired with Bell's malty and somewhat toasty grain Amber Ale, this was actually all the beer dinner I needed. I should have let Tryon eat half of my serving since he stands a full 5" taller than me. But I didn't.



Let them eat, Caaakkke. Anyone that knows me knows that I like cake. The person that produces Angel food cake that looks like my grandmother Violet's biscuits and tastes just as good as they look is my new BFF. Period. Put it in a monkey dish with fresh local strawberries, black pepper ice cream, candied grapefruit zest, pair it with Bell's Pale Ale and you can marry right into the family. I believe you get the gist of how much I liked this over the top dessert.

That about does it for our first Porter Beer Dinner but not the last. I suggest that you stay tuned in and check their site for the next paired event. Don't forget about Monday nights at The Porter for the best beer deals in Atlanta.

Cheers to Molly & Nick!

Beer Weekend Update.....

After 23 weeks of email abuse, I finally was able to get the most interesting man in the world to come to Atlanta and party with me. His knowledge of beer, women's beach volleyball, molded plastics and the 467 uses of a coconut continue to astound me.

We have been on the beer road here in Atlanta for 63 non-stop hours now, without sleep I think. Brutal. Here's what we have seen & drank:

A quick stop by Hop City allowed us to stock up on some Hitachino , Terrapin and Duckrabbit. All brands that The Man has been anxious to try.

Jumping next door afforded us a semi-private tour of the new 5 Season Brewery - Westside. Brewmaster Crawford Moran does not have the first batches turned out yet but we can't wait to come back and sample some products produced in the state of the art, copper-pot dreamland residing under the restaurant.

We took a turn and headed to Decatur to meet the Brewmaster from Stone Brewery. Steve Wagner was in town for a tour de force himself, dropping in on various beer spots around Atlanta with regional rep Scott Sheridan. Naturally, a long slow visit at the Brickstore Pub was a must, tapping some Vertical Epic & Sublimely Self-righteous for the attending crowd.

Thursday night's pinnacle came at the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper fundraiser at Park Tavern. Sweetwater provided all the complimentary grog and the Tavern did the food, ensuring a great time for everyone that showed up to help keep the Hooch afloat. The Man was impressed with both beer and babes, what a player.

Unfortunately, The Man & I were not able to make it to the Stone Beer Dinner at Taco Mac Duluth but from what Ale Sharpton has to say, it was "off the hook", way off. Special brews from the brewery were brought in just for the dinner and everyone was driven right over the Chipolte Porter edge. Not happy about missing this one. (speaking of Mr. Sharpton, check out his radio show, www.apparelism.org and click on Live Cast)

On to the Grange Public House for a change of venue and heritage. The Comer brothers and sisters always make you feel at home in the house. Actually hailing from Ireland, the family brings the "Grange" concept to Decatur and pulls it off in style. A great beer selection, service and menu that leaves you wanting for nothing. The Man would not leave without a second portion of the Guiness Braised Pot-Roast, my personal favorite as well. In fact, enough of a reason to go there in itself.

It gets a little blurry after that but we somehow ended up at Perimeter Mall in time to storm the gates at the Dunwoody Beer Festival. This is not a beer-only event but it is for a great cause and the rain did not keep the supporters away. Plenty o' money was raised for Camp Twin Lakes and plenty o' grog was served doing it. I spent most of the time trying to get The Man away from the Dos Equis tent and around the site to sample some other brands. He obliged me and was partial to several including the under-the-radar presentation from a very old local brewery, not to be named. Enough said.

Saturday night included stops by Top Flor, The Bookhouse, The Porter, Clermont Lounge and El Bar. Again, it gets a little fuzzy after that.

Off with the old and on with the new. Sunday morning and afternoon was pretty much spent sampling holdovers from HotoberFest. My private stash of malty love from the October, consumer-judged beer event is always sure bring a tear to a beer lover's eye. Somehow, we mustered the strength to split a bottle of Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA for breakfast and still keep functioning. Then off to the EARL for Dunch. John Kelly and the gang from Front Porch Session band turned out another afternoon of fine music to match some fine vittles.

Last night we simply stayed at my house, watching BeerFest over and over, making up new drinking games & calling any girls that The Man thought might be currenty dressed in Oktoberfest garb. His connections in Atlanta are slim.

Limping along like two 3-legged dogs living on Ponce, we are currently alternating espresso shots from Jittery Joes in Athens and Duckrabbit Baltic Porter, waiting for tonight's festivities. We are headed back to Brickstore Pub for the Bells Brewery tappings which start at 11:00am and continue into the Monday evening cheese party. Then it's off to P'Cheen in Inman Park where we will wind down the party with some great BBQ and tunes. If you have not made it to North Highland's anchor establishment yet, you suck & you don't know what you're missing.

I'll be dropping The Man off at Hartsfield Airport around 10pm to go back to wherever it is that he goes. I'm sure he can be found at the Sweetwater Draft House in concourse B if you want to buy him a drink or show him your Oktoberfest outfit.

Cheers!!